How to Become a Pharmacist | My Journey from High school, College, Pharmacy School, and Residency

After 8 years of school and 1 year of residency, I finally accomplished my goal of becoming a clinical inpatient pharmacist!
I am currently a float pharmacist, meaning I "float" around and work in different areas of the hospital depending on where they need me. This video is a brief overview of my pharmacy journey starting from high school all the way to my current position today!
00:30 High school (4 years)
02:28 College/university (4 years)
05:30 Pharmacy School (4 years)
10:25 Pharmacy Residency (1 year)
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[@sulaimonramon7622]

To be a pharmacist or Pharm tech in Nigeria here is not easy! Life’s ain’t easy here but I’m pushing it. I’ll surely put my trust onto God hands and he’ll surely help me through my academic

[@itz._sileeee2005]

Goodluck!!! You got this

[@SarahPharmD]

You got this!! I believe in you :) Wishing you the best!

[@marieagree]

Hi Sarah, thanks so much for videos like this. It really helps someone like me get ready for the future! I’m currently in my last semester of my Master’s of Athletic Training program, and I steered away from Pharmacy thinking that being a Tech in high school was enough and “oh but I’m bad at chem and math stuff”. I was on the path to using AT to climb into PA, but I feel that my original calling was always here in Pharm - it brings me so much joy to listen and learn about and despite the real fears of coming back for those prerequisites, I have faith it can work. Any tips are appreciated and thanks so much for your content !!! 💛

[@SarahPharmD]

Awww that makes me so happy to hear!! I am excited for your path to pharmacy 🥰 wishing you all the best! You got this ~

[@buenaquintynahrabedelena833]

this video was really informative! 💘 i'm from the philippines and i'm currently in 12th grade, in the STEM strand. i've been watching your videos lately because i want to gain knowledge about being a pharmacist. thank you for this video! 💘😊

[@SarahPharmD]

Aww Thank you for the support and watching my videos!! 💕

[@matheusribeiro4110]

Hello, I came across your channel and I loved it. I'm from Brazil and pharmaceutical professionals are being highly valued here, especially after the pandemic. That's why today I'm doing my second degree in pharmacy.

[@SarahPharmD]

Amazing! Thank you so much for watching and your support :)

[@ChoiReim]

I want to become an pharmacist too, maybe not an hospital one but the one that works in those pharmacists in malls. I’m only 13 tho but I also live in Norway where pharmacists are payed good.

[@julianuddin68]

Hi Sarah!! My name is Julian and I have my story to share with you what led me into being interested in working within the pharmaceutical field. Back when I was in high school, I was taking Algebra 2 honors course throughout my sophomore year, along with Introduction to Engineering Design. At that time, my main focus was to become an engineer. Then throughout my junior year, I was taking Chemistry honors course. I wanted to become a Chemical Engineer at that time. But ever since I fell in love with studying every element in the periodic table including doing stoichiometry and balancing equations, that was when I changed my mind about my future. I now want to be a pharmacist (mostly between compounding and hospital). I was majoring in chemistry throughout my 8 and a third undergraduate years, and I remember completing Anatomy and Physiology this past summer to complete my prerequisites. A&P was never part of my requirements to complete my Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry. I recently graduated from Florida Atlantic University after completing my very last course ever being Biochemistry Lab. And right now I’m taking a break from school for at least a year and a half to work as a pharmacy technician trainee. I want to get a head start on studying medication in preparation for University of Florida (my grad school for pharmacy I want to get into next year 2025)

[@SarahPharmD]

awww thank you for sharing your story! I love it!! Wishing you the best of luck on your pharmacy journey :)

[@julianuddin68]

@@SarahPharmD Thank you so much!! 😇🙏

[@jignasachiramana8269]

Hello! Thank you for this video, it was really helpful. However, After pharmacy school and clearing the licensing exam, what other job opportunities are available in the USA?

[@richhenry7540]

I was always good in all my subjects, but in High School, i got lazy and didn't have my priorities in order. I slacked off a lot and passed easily, but I know id struggle with certain subjects in college. I'm thinking about going into the healthcare field, (Pharmacist or Physician Assistant) but i really need to brush up on my math, biology, chemistry. I'm also in my late 30s. Anyone here have similar experience as I? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[@jennycorn4202]

Xin chào cô/chị 👋 em đang học năm 2 đại học và chỉ cần 1 lớp nữa là xong prerequisites cho trường dược. Không biết mấy trường khác có khác không nhưng trường dược mà em muốn học không cần phải có bachelor’s degree và chỉ cần prerequisites thôi. Em đang phân vân là mình có nên apply trường dược bây giờ hay không? Hay là đợi học xong lấy bằng bachelor rồi mới apply. Chị có thể tư vấn cho em hay không ạ?

[@angelaarsenal]

your videos are really informative. makes me want to become a pharmacist in the states too! is it hard to work into a hospital setting as an international pharmacist who have passed fpgee naplex and all? with no residency?

[@SarahPharmD]

Thank you for watching! I am happy to hear that my videos inspire you :) I think in general it is a bit competitive for hospital jobs right now. More and more hospitals are starting to prefer candidates with residency training, BUT it’s not an absolute requirement. Ultimately it depends on each hospital! Every hospital is different

[@adeleadams8957]

Hi! I'm a senior in hs and I want to become a clinical pharmacist as well. Do you have any tips for what I should be doing in my first year of college to give me a leg up going forward? Btw I really appreciate you making informative videos about pharmacy, they really help people like me get an idea of what the career is like. :))

[@SarahPharmD]

Awww thank you for watching my videos! I am happy to hear my videos are informative ☺️ I’d say for your first year of college - look to see if your campus has a pre-pharmacy association or club that you can join. It’ll help a lot befriending other people with the same career plan! You guys can help each other during the process. I would also say do some research on how you can get pharmacy experience during college (doesn’t have to be a part time job, can be volunteering etc and doesn’t have to be right away)

[@adeleadams8957]

@@SarahPharmD Thank you so much, that’s really helpful 😁

[@hajrakhan7225]

Hey! This was really helpful. I wanted to ask where you live, though, because I’m in Canada and I wanted to make sure i’d have to go through the same process.

[@SarahPharmD]

hi! I unfortunately live in the US, but hopefully your process isn't too different!

[@hajrakhan7225]

@@SarahPharmD Alright, thank you!

[@thinguyprk]

Hi Dr. Sarah! How would you recommend students who want to get more pharmacy experience in terms of more shadowing? Do we just reach out to a local hospital or independent pharmacy? Im making a career switch from pre dental to pre pharmacy! thank u for your videos! ive been learning so much!

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes! When I was in college, I joined a pre pharmacy club and a healthcare club. They both had connections to local hospitals and that’s how I was able to gain pharmacy experience! If you don’t have many clubs or orgs to join, I would just reach out or do my own research! Most hospitals have some sort of volunteer program ☺️

[@yellowmellon9725]

❤️❤️

[@sparklydiamond7670]

Hi Sarah! I had a question about internships for second year of pharmacy... Are interships only availed to the final year students or the other students from different years can also apply? Also, if they are applying what positions should be selected for internships?

[@SarahPharmD]

For my pharmacy school, most internships were open to P1 students with the intention of having them start P2 year and continue their internship until they graduate P4 year. However, some hospitals or internships are still willing to take older students so it’s not a set rule! As a pharmacy intern, you are pretty much doing pharmacy technician tasks and may able to do pharmacist tasks UNDER supervision of a pharmacist (since you are not licensed yet). This is just how it is at my pharmacy school so it might be different at other programs!

[@atemperateatar]

What would your advice be to a 27 year old who has never been to college? There is a great 6 year pharm d program in my state, but I'm not sure if it's worth it at my age/reasonable.

[@SarahPharmD]

There were people of all ages in my pharmacy program! Some people changed professions later in life or some people took a long gap year so you won’t be alone if you do decide to pursue pharmacy. I would say it is worth it depending on where you live and what field of pharmacy you decide to pursue ☺️ I would recommend to look up the Pharmacy Demand Report to see the stats for pharmacist jobs in your city/state to get an understanding. Also talk to pharmacists in your area to get their opinion!

[@user-vk6wf6vc5r]

Is it necessary to work as a technician during pharmacy school? I just finished an IPPE rotation and I was getting a lottttt of side eyes from the hospital pharmacists when I told them I didn’t work as a technician anywhere and I’m not planning on doing residency. My reasoning is that I don’t want to burn out how while I’m only just now starting my P3 year and I am not sure what career path I want to take. Such as hospital, grocery pharmacy, dispensary… etc. I know things will eventually work out after school and starting a job for a few years to get the experience. But I guess I have a lot of anxiety about it

[@SarahPharmD]

Well since you are approaching your P3 year, it's probably a little late to start an internship now so don't even sweat about it! Since you don't have work experience, definitely try to make the best out of your APPE rotations because that will be the time you gain experience to help narrow down your interests. It's better that you figure out what you want and gain experience BEFORE you graduate. What's great about residency is that its an entire year in which you get to explore different fields of pharmacy as a practicing licensed pharmacist - that will be the ONLY time you will ever be able to do so because often times it is very difficult to switch careers once you start a job. If you change your mind about residency, I am happy to give you advice!

[@kalebb0]

Hi, I’m currently a senior in high school and looking into pursuing a career in pharmacy. How did you know what major to choose, and what other majors would you suggest I take that will also lead to becoming a pharmacist?

[@lukerose4166]

Biology and chemistry are both common

[@SarahPharmD]

Sorry for the late reply, but biology and chemistry are common majors people do to pursue pharmacy! Honestly any science major would be sufficient :) Don't worry about WHAT major, but worry about if you have taken all the required courses to apply for pharmacy school. They will teach you everything you need to know in pharmacy school. They just want to make sure you have a good foundation :)

[@farisahmad9334]

I have a question, i have been accepted into baylor as pre pharm, but then i have to go to a pharmacy school, are all universities like this? Im looking for a university in texas where i dont have to leave the actual university to go to a pharm school

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes most pharmacy paths are like this in which you complete university and then you have to apply for a separate pharmacy school program! It is rare but there are a few handful of schools that combine college with pharmacy school

[@Mediatrends535]

I feel like my school especially my country is not teaching me enough...I really want to transfer and study in a different counrty, im really passionate about pharmacy ..anyone who can help me transfer

[@Brandon_501]

Is being a hospital pharmacist everything you hoped it would be? Does the job offer a pretty enjoyable lifestyle?

[@SarahPharmD]

So far - yes! I am very happy with where I am at right now :) Every hospital has a different staffing model so the answer might differ to another hospital pharmacist at another facility. For me, I find that my hospital provides a great work-life balance because we only work weekends once a month! My shifts are mostly early mornings so I have a lot of time in the evenings to attend workout classes, cook & eat dinner with my family, and squeeze in some time for some personal hobbies. However, I don't have any children right now so my answer might change in the future!

[@Brandon_501]

Thank you so much for your answer, I am starting pharmacy school in just a few weeks so i am very happy to hear you are actually enjoying your life post-graduation! @@SarahPharmD

[@theheartpharmacist]

Depending on which country/health authority you work at, hospital pharmacists have the opportunity to specialize and take on different roles that have a balance of clinical, research, teaching and administration. Where I work (Vancouver, BC Canada), we have various "grades". Grade 1 is a typical dispensary of pharmacist, grade 2 is a clinical pharmacist who had completed a pgy1 residency, grade 3 is a clinical pharmacy specialist (in a particular area such as cardiology, critical care, emergency medicine, neurology, etc), grade 4-6 is usually management/leadership. I can honestly tell you that being in a grade 3 position and having a set Monday to Friday schedule now is sooooo much easier with 2 young kids than if I were to have to rotate through and have to work evenings and weekends again. All that aside, great video Sarah and I appreciate you sharing your journey. I may do a similar type of video about my journey one day!

[@nathpereiramonteiro]

I subscribed on your channel some weeks ago and I really enjoy watching your videos. I’m from Brazil and here the journey to be a pharmacist it’s very different and I think easily too. But our salary is so low. When we finish high school we go straight to university (public or private) and after 5 years we get the certificate of generalist pharmacist. I want to follow clinical/oncologist pharmacy and in writing my thesis based at elderly patients with multiple diseases and medications. I hope I graduate at the end of this year. I wanted to work in US maybe in 5/8 years and I have search by the process to get a verification for foreigner pharmacist and it’s so hard. What do you think about it?? I know that you already explain about how difficult it’s getting to be a pharmacist but who knows right haha

[@SarahPharmD]

Thank you for subscribing and watching! Wishing you the best of luck on your pharmacy journey ☺️

[@SarahPharmD]

I am not sure about how the process is like for foreigners, but it is a little competitive right now for U.S candidates too. Hopefully things will ease up over time!

[@nathpereiramonteiro]

@@SarahPharmD thank you!! I love watching your routine videos 🩷

[@Mizukie56]

Hi sarah im 23 year old doctor from india and i reall y like you ❤

[@youdontknowme3584]

heyaa, im currently in pharmacy school..Can u tell me how you got pharmacy internship during pharmacy school and what sort of internships are available? also like what sort of courses would boost up my knowledge in becoming a hospital pharmacist. BTW Love your videos.. ❤

[@SarahPharmD]

Aww thank you for watching my videos! ❤ I was very fortunate because a lot of the local hospitals and pharmacies exclusively hired pharmacy students from my school. During my P1 year, all the upperclassmen (P2s & P3s) were in charge of recruitment for their respective internships. The interns would oftentimes interview P1s during the first round to narrow down the interview pool and then the pharmacists at the hospitals would interview during the second round. If your pharmacy school doesn't have this, then I would just reach out to any local hospitals or pharmacies nearby! Most internships are essentially part-time pharmacy technician jobs, but since you are a pharmacy student - your title is a pharmacy intern and you might have more clinical tasks once you become a P4 depending on your facility's comfort level!

[@youdontknowme3584]

@@SarahPharmD oh okayy.. I'm gonna have to reach out to local pharmacy and clinics... thank you for helping me out ❤

[@julianuddin68]

I also have a question about the one-year residency after completing Pharm.D. Is that possible that I can do residency out of state after graduation? I was thinking about moving out of Florida after graduation and move to a different state to start a new chapter as a pharmacist

[@SarahPharmD]

of course! I would highly recommend applying to programs in cities you plan to move to. Most residency programs hope to hire on their residents if there are positions open once they graduate. Even if they don't have positions open, your residency director would know of other nearby hospitals to help you land a job. It would be a good way to establish a network!

[@julianuddin68]

@@SarahPharmD Thank you!!

[@lyndabnb7360]

thank u so much for the infos, actually i wish to study abroad in canada, and i believe that u have almost the same system of pharmacy program as them, and knowing that this program is not the easiest, im afraid of not being able to hundle my studies and my student job to finance them, can u tell me what do u think?

[@SarahPharmD]

balancing school while working is very difficult, but it is doable! If I survived, you'll definitely survive :) I applied for an internship my P1 year, but didn't start working until the summer I finished my P1 year. So whats great about that is I had all of P1 year to figure out the best studying routine that works for me and took the time to adjust to pharmacy school during that period. Then once I started working on top of school, it was a little bit easier because I already figured out how to properly study and get the hang of pharmacy school by then!

[@lyndabnb7360]

@@SarahPharmD thank u so much, I appreciate 💗💗💗💗

[@nghiemnguyen9426]

I starting read pharmacy books before I go to pharmacy school you got any recommendations for good pharmacy books to read ?

[@SarahPharmD]

A lot of pharmacy students review the RX prep book to prepare for the NAPLEX board exam. When I was a student in pharmacy school, an upperclassmen taught me to buy or borrow old RX prep book and use it to supplement/study alongside my lectures. It was very helpful!

[@tomie9895]

i plan on applying this fall and im so nervous

[@SarahPharmD]

Ahh how exciting! GOOD LUCK!! You got this ~

[@tomie9895]

@@SarahPharmD thank u 🥹

[@shyampatel7598]

HI Sarah, Thanks for making this video but can you make video for international students like me I'm from India & want to come to USA and become Pharmacist. Can you please make video or we can have conversation about what to do or not..! Please reply it will help me lot

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi! I'm so sorry, but I was born here in the US so I am not sure about the process for international students :(

[@shyampatel7598]

@@SarahPharmD okay..!!

[@Tammy-mn4lc]

Hi Sarah , pls what do you think is the best major to pick for a college freshman hoping to become a pharmacist

[@SarahPharmD]

Hi! Honestly, any science major should suffice :) As long as a lot of your major courses fulfill the class requirements for pharmacy school - any science major should do! I did a biochemistry major - it was helpful, but honestly very difficult at my particular college. I have friends who did majors in psychobiology, biology, etc. You should research what pharmacy schools you are interested in and check their course requirements. Not every major will fulfill the requirements so you will likely have to take extra electives or courses to fulfill everything (example: some schools may require anatomy or economy so those could be electives for you if that are not part of your major)

[@Tammy-mn4lc]

@@SarahPharmD Thank you so much I’m grateful

[@wqx4ra]

what grades did you get in (grade 11 and 12) highschool? which ap classes? sorry just so curious

[@SarahPharmD]

It was so long ago so I don't remember exactly! It was mostly A's with 1 or 2 Bs haha I was ambitious in high school so I did as many AP classes as I could back then

[@wqx4ra]

@@SarahPharmD thanks so much, im a sophmore and thinking of taking ap bio and chem. my grades rn are 90-95 what do you think my shot is. (for referance i want to get into CAP program at Univeristy of waterloo.)

[@SarahPharmD]

AP bio and AP chem are great courses to take!I took them both as well and I highly recommend taking them to see if you enjoy the material and also to see if you can take on the challenging workload

[@dishs3472]

Hey sahar...you did bachelor in biochemistry...then you did pharmd ?

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes that is correct! I got a bachelors in biochemistry and then I got my doctorate in pharmacy

[@jirdalys]

Hi Sarah! I'm new to your channel! I wanted to ask if you didn't pursue the healthcare field what would you have gone for? I have spoken to other pharmacists and pharmD students in the US and every one of them have mentioned it's not worth it due to it being oversaturated. What are your thoughts on that? Thanks in advanced!

[@SarahPharmD]

That is a good question! Honestly, my pharmacy friends and I have always pondered that question. To be honest, I always had tunnel vision growing up - I only envisioned myself as a pharmacist so it is hard to say. As an adult now and reflecting back, I think a career in any engineering field or accounting would have been good stable jobs. Would I have loved it as much? I honestly don’t know!

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes, there is an oversaturation of pharmacists right now so it can be a bit difficult to get jobs unfortunately. However, I heard that enrollment in pharmacy schools are starting to slow down so there is hope. If you are open to moving to a different area for a job, then it should be fine. If you intend to work (or tied down to) a very specific area, then it can be difficult - especially in popular cities with more competition.

[@gourabsarker9552]

Mam do you earn 170k dollars a year as a hospital pharmacist? Plz reply. Thanks a lot.

[@SarahPharmD]

I believe I answered this question in the comments already in my previous video!

[@pharmacistshane]

-Pharmacist here...Just go to med school and save yourself a boat load of regret!

[@AnhThu-qc9hy]

can I ask if are you Vietnamese.

[@SarahPharmD]

Yes I am!

[@noelmcclintock2825]

dont do pharmacy if it now takes 8 years. do something in healthcare where you can make a difference like medical school

[@SarahPharmD]

Pharmacist made a huge difference in patients lives, most people aren't aware of what we do and thats why I created my channel to help shed light to what we do :) We prevent A LOT patient harm by catching medication errors and assisting doctors/nurses withdosing and administering medications correctly.

[@chrisdubs_42]

Where did you go to pharmacy school? I just submitted my applications this afternoon!

[@SarahPharmD]

I went to USC! Congratulations, wishing you the best of luck!

[@chrisdubs_42]

@@SarahPharmD oh man the transition from being a bruin to a Trojan couldn’t have been easy for you hahaha!